The Phone Call
by Autumn's Wind
Summary: He stared at the display which showed the number he was about to dial, not knowing it was going to be the call of love AU SasuSaku
1. Chapter 1

**_The phone call_**

_(the call of love)_

Summary: He stared at the display which showed the number he was about to dial, not knowing it was going to be the call of love [AU]

**Chapter one**

When he came back to his apartment that night, he was exhausted. It had been one of his busiest days at the office, with meeting after meeting, then nerve-cracking sessions.

He must have drunk dozens of coffee cups and while it kept him going, it also made him more stressed than he usually was. And when he found two of his employees not doing their jobs he felt like an erupting volcano, forgiving nothing in his way. He clearly remembered as one of the two pulled out a piece of paper from his pocket and grinned at the other one as he showed what was written on it.

"Guess what…" at the bewildered look of his colleague he continued "I found out what her phone number is." he finished as the other one had his eyes wide from disbelief.

"How did you do it? I thought…"

"One of her colleagues was kind enough to share it with me." the first employee replied then winked at the second one.

And they would have continued their little chat if the paper wouldn't have been ripped from between the man's fingers by Sasuke.

"You might want to go back to your work…" he had said coldly, yet menacing, leaving a threat pending over their heads.

When lunch break came that day, Sasuke found the same subordinates engrossed in a discussion over the same mysterious woman. Leaning over his office's door frame, he listened to those two, who just happened to have their backs towards him again.

"Believe me when I say she is charming. And to think that two days ago it could have been just the two of us…"

"Wait, wait, wait… what do you mean by that?"

"What I mean is that I was walking on the street when I spotted her. It's really not that hard to miss her anyway. She was patting a little boy's head and I couldn't help but imagine her as a mother; what a good and kind one she would be. But as I was imagining all that stuff she had already began moving and when I spotted her again she was already in a cab and departing. So I missed my chance…I'm so stupid…"

"But sure you can meet her again. You mentioned a friend of hers…"

"Yeah, I did. I seriously hope she will give me her number again, because this time I won't lose it."

"It really sucks you lost it like that."

"Hmm. Well, it doesn't matter. I will take this as a test. And the prize will be her…"

He, now, wished he would have fired them. Indiscipline was not tolerated by him and that's why his business went that well.

After having stripped off his clothes he headed straight towards the shower, intent on relaxing. And as he replayed that day's events, he realized he must have unconsciously put the paper he took from his subordinates, into his pants' pocket.

He got out of the bathroom as soon as he finished showering and drying and searched for his pants, curious to see if he actually took the paper with the phone number. When his finger came across the smooth and thin piece of paper he was a bit surprised as it wasn't in his nature to do things unconsciously and which he did not remember after.

That showed perfectly just how tired he was. As he stared at the phone number he began imagining himself walking like a zombie if he stood awake any longer. Sighing, he threw the piece of paper in the air and went to his bed without a second thought. One last glance at the clock told him it was past twelve p.m. and he was about to close his eyes when he spotted the slightly crumbled piece of paper, seemingly glowing under the thin moon ray which covered it only.

He suddenly got an itching curiosity to find out who owned that number that caused such a ruckus in his office. He remembered having heard it was a "she" but her name or who she might be was left unknown.

It was probably a prostitute his subordinates knew and wanted to still have fun with.

But curiosity was only human and Sasuke knew he wouldn't fall asleep unless he dialed the number. She might as well be his neighbor for all he knew.

Having decided he wanted to fall asleep once and for all, he angrily got up from bet and grabbed the paper and his phone, and began dialing. For a moment he stared at the display, thinking of how childish this was and how rude it was from him to call someone at an hour at which most slept soundly.

But he was known to be selfish and at the moment all he cared about was getting a proper rest.

He pressed the button and pun the phone next to his ear, listening to the same ringing for several seconds. He began thinking that maybe it was a wrong number but he couldn't know that, or that she simply wasn't home, which only fueled his thoughts that she was a prostitute or something around that.

When she did answer, he was almost startled, as he almost fell asleep.

"Hello?" a feminine voice was heard on the other line. It was a bit hoarse and growling, and he had no doubt he had disturbed her sleep. She could be working in an office as he was and had just fallen asleep…but he couldn't know.

"Taro?" he tentatively asked, not knowing what to say. He suddenly realized he should have prepared a background story in order to find out who she was.

"I'm sorry but there is no Taro here…" he heard her sigh. She must be cursing him in her thoughts for being disturbed by a simple mistake.

"Are you sure? I was told that…" but he didn't get the chance to continue, being interrupted by an angry voice.

"Listen. Doctor Sakura Haruno here, and for your own concern, I meet dozens of people everyday. And I don't know any Taro, so I kindly ask you not to disturb me anymore."

She then ended their 'conversation' as the insufferable beeping sound was heard…but he felt amused. He didn't even ask for her name, yet she had unintentionally given it to him. Also, the woman he first thought to be a mere prostitute turned out to be a doctor and these two jobs were so much in contrast that he felt the corner of his mouth turn upwards in amusement. He knew she was quite young, judging by her voice and by the fact that she couldn't attract two young men's attention if being old.

She was probably quite good looking too but he didn't know what type of person she was. The woman apparently didn't like having her sleep interrupted but he couldn't quite imagine a doctor who had trouble waking up.

Shaking his head as if that would clear his mind of all those thoughts regarding the person he had just spoken with, he went back to his bed, telling himself that he could sleep now, and he could think about everything else when he had time.

-x-

The next day at his office wasn't as busy as the previous one and Sasuke considered himself lucky to go home four hours earlier.

As he waited for the lights to turn green he suddenly remembered Doctor Haruno Sakura, or whoever she was. Moving across the streets again he spotted a signpost which indicated how to reach the hospital and an unknown something pulled him that way.

But, if she was a doctor, did she work in the hospital or in a private clinic? And, supposing she was a respected doctor, how did she become the centerpiece of two young men's attention, young men fascinated by dating and flirting?

He reached the hospital.

Once the vehicle was stopped he had to think of a way to meet or, at least, see her. But when finding none he was angry with himself. Angry because he became preoccupied with a name and a voice…no face, no past, no present, nothing else…or maybe her present was already partially revealed to him.

This was one of the most ridiculous things he has ever done, he thought, and he wasn't a man to do ridiculous things. For this reason he left the hospital parking lot without a glance back. He would go to his apartment to a nice relaxing evening…

…But his phone rang…

"Hey Sasuke" his best friend's voice greeted as soon as he answered the call "I heard you've been quite nervous at office today" the blonde didn't even wait to see if Sasuke was the one who really answered the phone "and you should definitely hang out with us, guys, tonight."

What an absurd things to do, the dark haired male thought.

"Why would I do that?" his monotonous voice asked, betraying nothing but the challenge thrown at the blond.

"Oh come on…You know it's been almost a month since we last gathered as a group…Jeez…and here I thought…"

"Shut up."

But the blond was right. Sure the two of them met occasionally but he had completely ignored the others.

"Alright. Where?" he imagined the grin playing on his friend's face.

"Ichiraku, of course!"

Quite predictable…

"You have a lot to catch on…"

"Whatever…See you later…"

And with that the call was ended.

-x-

"I met the prettiest girl I've ever seen today." Naruto said, his eyes telling the others around him that he was recalling that happening.

"Really?" his dark haired friend raised a questioning eyebrow.

"Yeah…and she has the most beautiful eyes." he then suddenly laughed "it's funny that we already knew each other but I guess…"

"You're an idiot." someone at his left interrupted him, causing several smiles and one or two chuckles.

"Shut up, Sasuke. As if you're doing any better."

"Hn."

A typical "quarrel" between the two…

"So…you're telling us you've had a beautiful woman, maybe the love of your life, right under your nose and you didn't see it…what a drag…" Shikamaru observed in the most laid-back way possible.

"I don't know if she's the love of my life…" Naruto replied as he began thinking if such a thing was possible.

"Have you asked her out?" Kiba asked with a grin on his face.

"Actually…" a small blush appeared on the blond's face "I didn't."

"I sure remember you eagerly asking girls on dates…" Neji said in disbelief. Sasuke turned to the blond with a smirk.

"I never thought I will get to see the deadlast turned to jelly because of a girl." but his smirk turned to a real but small smile as he noticed the short glare he received.

That day was the most surprising day.

"Hey…leaving joke behind…" Neji interrupted, his voice and expression serious "I heard Hayate died."

As expected the atmosphere of the group matched the gravity of Neji's words.

"You mean Hayate, the examiner two years ago?"

Neji gave a nod as soon as Naruto finished with his question.

"He did appear to be sick though…" Shikamaru voiced his thoughts.

"He died of lung cancer…it seems that his disease has finally caught up on him." Neji said once again, sharing his knowledge with the rest of his friends.

Fortunately for the group, the gloomy moment faded away and they began joking and having a good time together once again.

Sasuke reached his home past midnight, barely managing to escape his blond friend's pleas to stay more. And in the solitude of his apartment he remembered Hayate's death and his disease. The connections were quickly made and the result was the mysterious doctor. Now he had a good reason to speak to her.

The only problem was that it was nearing one a.m. She was definitely asleep by now.

But he found he didn't care.

He grabbed his phone and quickly dialed her number, waiting for the annoying ringing to stop.

"Hello?" the same feminine voice from the night before answered moments ago. He felt so strange hearing it again, with the same sleepiness obvious in it.

For a moment he kept silent, as if he had lost the small sheet of paper on which he wrote his replies. But he was struggling to say something.

"I'm sorry to interrupt your sleep, but I need to know what exactly lung cancer is." She must be utterly surprised to receive such a call at such an hour, he thought, as he began to doubt this was the best reason to have her talking to him.

"Who am I talking to?" she asked, yet Sasuke was somehow reluctant to answer her. She probably remembered his voice from the other night and that fact made him feel slightly stupid.

"Sasuke." he finally gave up, thinking she had the right to know a name if he kept bothering her in the middle of the night.

"Okay, Sasuke…" there was a pause as though she herself was having difficulties searching for words. But he was just imagining things, he said to himself. "Lung cancer is a dangerous disease which results from the abnormal cell growth in the tissues of the lung. The most common symptoms are coughing, in some cases coughing blood, chest pain…are you still listening?"

Her words flew past his ears, the only thing absorbed by him being her voice, which he now realized was warm and soothing. He could tell she had a passion for all things medicine, a passion he could hear in her simple explanation.

"I am." he replied to her question as soon as he realized it. A pause followed before she resumed talking.

"Are you having the symptoms I told you about?" she inquired.

"No."

He could imagine how confused she was. He could have imagined how the confusion played on her face if he knew how she looked like.

"Someone I know died of it and I wanted to know what this disease was about." He thought he rushed with this explanation but he was aware that he will have to hang up soon.

"Oh, I'm sorry."

Somehow it was such an awkward call. She seemed to try to be nice when there was no need for her to be. After all, it was him who woke her at almost one in the morning and his uneasiness grew the more she tried to be nice.

"I hope I've been of help to you, Sasuke…good night."

He was then left wondering why she still waited for a few seconds as if waiting for an answer. The seconds passed by and there was probably a minute before he gave a low "good night" to her just as she ended the call.

* * *

Author's Note: I hope you enjoyed reading the first chapter of this fanfic. I could have made it a one-shot as the fanfic won't be long but I was eager to know what your opinion is.

Please leave a review. ^^


	2. Chapter 2

**_The phone call_**

_(the call of love)_

Summary: He stared at the display which showed the number he was about to dial, not knowing it was going to be the call of love [AU]

**Chapter two**

Sasuke had already talked to the doctor called Haruno Sakura twice, yet those short meaningless word exchanges couldn't even be called conversations. But despite that Sasuke woke up that day feeling good and relaxed as though there were no more heavy burdens on his shoulders, no serious thinking he had to do regarding his business.

He knew the pleasant feeling wasn't owed to the fact that it was Saturday.

He found himself recalling last night's call with a nostalgic feeling…amazed that he couldn't remember how exactly he dialed her number yet he clearly remembered her words and most importantly, her voice, which was just so close to himself…

And he had absolutely no idea what to do next. Sasuke had to admit he was infuriatingly eager to know her or at least see this person he was so obsessed with. Therefore he knew those late night calls could not hold out much longer. She will get tired of receiving his calls and eventually she would change her phone number. He himself will get tired of searching for excuses to call her just to hear her voice for a short amount of time. Maybe if they were face to face things will be much easier…maybe…

He sighed then groaned realizing an hour was spent just thinking…of her.

Getting up from his bed he went to the bathroom where he stood in front of his mirror with a glare directed at himself. He repeated to his reflection how stupid he was for several times. But his scowling reflection in the mirror did nothing to relieve him. His scowl darkened when he thought of the pleasant feeling he had when he awoke, feeling now ruined by his "need", dare he say, to see and meet her.

It was like something heavy had fallen on his head and was slowly descending towards his heart. And to stop that descent he saw no other way but to get matters into his own hands and find her.

Taking a quick shower refreshed him and he flew out of the bathroom, not before throwing another _"You're so stupid_" remark at himself.

He planned on confronting this…obsession, abnormal curiosity, unknown something… And he intended on doing that by finding her whatever it took, though he doubted it would be hard. He wouldn't ask his employees about her; there were many other places in which he could ask. Konoha was big but not enormous, and there weren't infinite clinics or doctors in the city; quite the contrary.

He first went to the hospital where he kindly asked the receptionist where he could find Doctor Haruno Sakura.

The receptionist smiled.

Sasuke couldn't consider himself more lucky. The doctor did work in the hospital after all. She was working in the emergencies department, but this weekend she was free from duty.

Sasuke's mood darkened at the news of that. There were other possibilities like going to her place or waiting for Monday to come, but either seemed ridiculous, therefore he decided he should call her. It was 13 p.m. and she couldn't possibly sleep at this hour, which relieved him.

Her phone rang in his ear as his heartbeat sped up nervously in waiting for her to answer.

"Hello?"

Sasuke's breath stopped for a few seconds, even though he hid any visible reaction. People walking by him would not know how he was affected by this call.

It was the same warm voice as in the previous nights. It was the same voice that seemed to have a positive influence on him.

"I called you before…"

"Yes, I realize this…"

"Do you need any help?" she continued a few seconds later.

"I…" his brain seemed to have stopped working, before realizing why he called her again "I want to ask you out."

She laughed and it was such a wonderful sound to his ears. Then the laugh stopped and he could hear her breaths through the phone. The fear she might say no was kicked out as she continued to keep quiet. She was thinking about it, he was sure.

"Who are you…and…why would I go out with you?" she asked, clearly affected. He quickly regained his confidence and smugness at hearing her nervous reply. Maybe she was just as affected as he was.

"Sasuke Uchiha. I work at Uchiha Enterprises and I want to know you."

Was she going to say 'yes' or 'no'? The seconds seemed to have turned to minutes as he anxiously waited for her reply. B

"Sasuke Uchiha…"

She repeated his name and she couldn't have said it more beautiful.

"And how did you get this number, anyway?"

She might as well call him a stalker but he was none of that. Stalkers were his two employees but definitely not him, or that's what he kept telling himself. He was suddenly annoyed at her inquiry.

"It was accidental."

"Oh…"

And then there was a pause that seemed to last too long for him.

"Well Mr. Uchiha…as accidental as you finding my number may be…I still won't go out with a complete stranger…"

"Then I'll meet…"

The call was ended out of the blue without leaving him the chance to finish saying what he planned next. He wasn't sure she even heard the first words of his sentence, which made him immensely frustrated.

Sasuke threw away his phone.

He was left with not too many choices now that she clearly expressed her unwillingness to go out "with a complete stranger". Actually, he saw only one way left to meet her, despite the fact that he had to wait a few days for his plan to come to action.

Next Monday, she will have a great surprise waiting for her at the hospital…

-x-

When Monday finally came, Sasuke suddenly wondered how he managed to make the two days pass.

He continuously searched for something to make time fly faster, such as spending some time with Naruto and hearing continuosly about a girl named Hinata which the blond was head over heels with, but he was still left with moments dreaming of his encounter with the medic. Will he recognize her? Will she look at him? Will he manage to talk to her? Will she accept a date with him?

Will they?

Going to the receptionist he asked her something so surprising she could only stare at him strangely for a few seconds, nearing a minute.

"What is the colour of Doctor Haruno's eyes?"

He somehow understood why the receptionist was so surprised at his inquiry. He first planned on recognizing Sakura by her voice, but if she happened to stand next to him and not talk it would be problematic. Therefore he decided to ask someone who knew her a recognizable feature of her. The eyes were supposed to be the mirror of one's soul so it wasn't that hard to understand his choice. If her eyes happened to have the colour of most of the population he could just ask how her hair looks and so on.

"Green…" the receptionist more like mumbled before clearing her throat and repeating her statement louder "Her eyes are green."

The information had been stocked and he went near the entrance of the hospital hoping he could spot the green eyes he did not know.

The receptionist was also kind enough to tell him she was to arrive in a few minutes. So there he was standing by the few steps in front of the hospital, scanning his surroundings both by sight and by hearing.

That was when something bright and colourful caught his eye. A woman with pink hair got out from her car before turning around to grab her belongings. She had pink hair and her hair's colour resembled so much that of a cherry blossom that he quickly made the connections between the doctor's name and the hair of this unknown woman in front of him.

_It had to be her._

When she turned around again and raised her _green_ eyes to glance at the building in front of her, as she probably did every morning, he was certain it was _her_. Then her green, mesmerizing eyes turned a little to the right to stare right into his eyes. He barely registered his heart beating faster as he stared at the woman a few meters away from him. Her soft gaze caressing his own, she began to take a few slow steps towards the entrance while he took a few steps towards the entrance too.

Did she know he was the one who repeatedly called her?

The magic was in danger to be broken as she lowered her eyes to look at the steps she was going to take in order to reach the door. But when she reached it she once again raised her gaze which involuntarily shifted towards Sasuke, who was now blocking her way inside the hospital.

Seeing as he kept staring at her and standing in her way triggered her anger, he noted.

"Would you mind to move, mister? I happen to be needed behind the door you insist on blocking." It was so pleasant to his hearing to hear her voice next to him…the same warm voice that seemed to spread love around her…

"Sasuke Uchiha." He merely stated as he extended his hand. He noticed how her anger was forgotten as she stared at his hand, then at his face again, studying it, especially his mouth. Perhaps she tried to figure if it could be possible that he had been calling her the past days.

"Then you already know my name." she replied as he defiantly crossed her arms, apparently not even thinking about shaking his still extended hand. A small, amused lift of the corner of his mouth could not be resisted seeing as she appeared to be once again '_very angry'_.

"Yes, I know your name." he said as he stuffed his hand into his pockets. "Sakura Haruno." She frowned at hearing her name being said by him "I know you work here as a doctor." Another pause. "But unfortunately that is all I know."

He studied the way her emotions danced on her face, free from the reign she held a few seconds ago.

Sasuke proceeded in moving away from the door so she could get in. Sakura stared for a few seconds at the white door in front of her before opening it and moving inside, but not before stealing another glance at him. Her hand lingered behind her, holding the door still open and he wondered if perhaps this was the invitation he was waiting for.

As the door was about to be closed his hand flew to stop it. Following her inside the hospital he decided this was indeed the invitation he thought about. They walked in silence, following their hearts' steps towards the undiscovered realm of what could someday be called love…

* * *

Author's note: I know late updates are annoying so I sincerely apologize to those of you who waited for this.

This story is finished. I could have written more on it but I prefer it this way, having a somewhat open ending. I hope the characters' actions didn't seem out of place or something.

Thank you for your reviews, favs and story alerts. They have been most welcome.


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